How to get ahead in Photography?

I’m really open to suggestions. Truly. I am cool to hear someone’s take on me even when the news is less than expected. Knowing sheds light on where I might improve. That said, I give a lot of suggestions too. I’m honored by photographers who ask me to review their portfolios and offer my thoughts on the art and business of photography. No matter who shows me their book and what level they are on, one question I'm always asked is, “How did you get started in this business?”

The idea of starting and sustaining a photography business is daunting. With the amount of competition in the world, who would even want to try? Just look at any of the source books or portal websites and you'll find seemingly endless numbers of photographers already established in the marketplace. From a newcomers perspective, where is there room for another photographer?

Obvious first questions arise like: Where am I going to get a gig? How can I get assisting work? Later we ask ourselves about marketing like: Build a website or portfolio? Does anyone use the print source books? And somewhere in there is: Do I get a rep? and How much should I charge? All the while a good MacPro runs you over $3000 and you just want to shoot new pictures. All this has you remembering that Starbucks pays for health insurance.

So I'm again making myself open to offering suggestions. If you have a question related to entering and sustaining in the business of photography, ask me at info(at)saveriotruglia.com Through my own experiences and those of colleagues, you'll get an honest answer that may just be helpful in thriving in this gig.

Thanks to Heather Morton’s, Ask an Art Buyer for inspiring this.

Fruit of the Loin

At the pub last night, two friends were talking about a really unsettling piece of street-art seen somewhere in the neighborhood. After last call, we set out to find it. Glued10 feet off the ground on a plywood construction barricade, there he was. I don't know what it means, but I'm sure he's the bastard child of Fruit of the Loom.

Competing with Children

With gas prices up over $4.30 where I live, I've been out on my bicycle a lot. It's a great way to meet people and stay connected to the world. While riding through the inner city, I've noticed a near phenomenon of really tiny motorcycles ridden by big people. I mean, these bikes are made to fit a 6 year old.

I met this young dude on the West Side fixing his chain in the middle of the road! Traffic swooshing by, he drew a small crowd of onlookers (likely because he was in the middle of the street) who resisted the temptation to lend a hand. Instead we stared. After he got the chain on, I offered to race him down the street on my bike. He agreed and I readied myself. Of course I had to turn my bike around because he was going to race against traffic and I guess, so was I. And with sneakers kicked back and knees barely off the pavement he smoked me. I estimated (on my cycle computer) that he was going 28mph before stopping his house to get something to get some candy.

FURminate me.

Hail the FURminator! Yes. That's fur eliminator. It gently combs away the animals allergen laden undercoat leaving the shiny, healthy top coat unharmed. How does it do it? Ask my assistant Alan.

New Web Site next week.

Check back no later than October 17 to see my whole new thang!
It's vintage, it's modern, like a fedora worn with a silver shirt.

These fortunes are whack.

Anthony Munoz, an advertising art director and newly minted proud father to son Cedar, here in China (town) for a occasional Chicago Reader feature called What Are You Wearing? (WAYW?) When I first got an assignment 3 years ago to shoot for this section, I was not entirely interested. Fashion was not my thing. Now after having done a few dozen WAYW? assignments thus far, street fashion has proven to be a pretty stimulating creative launching point for a lot of pictures I absolutely love.

Collaboraction does Siddhartha

My friends at Collaboraction theater company are again attempting to stage a difficult production in a challenging environment, replete with too many liquored-up folks and too few electrical outlets. On October 3, they will be launching a 2 week production of the story of
Siddhartha at a very dope new club called Lumen in Chicago. I shot a press photo last night on the banks of the quite polluted, yet beautiful Chicago River. Jumping fish and scurrying rabbits added to the sensation that we were no longer in Kansas. The doctor says the eye irritation should subside soon.